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Defense Department Drafts RFID Policy

Posted by simoniker on from the rtfm-on-rfid dept.

Bob Wehadababyitsaboy writes "According to CNET News, the Department of Defense has announced its new policy of requiring all suppliers to use RFID chips in all goods supplied to the military by 2005, except on bulk commodities such as sand, grit or liquids. It claims that this move will help them streamline inventory and delivery of vital supplies around the world."

5 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. RFID mines by mlush · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Build a RFID detector into a mines, boobytraps etc. If your in RFID range your in the killzone

  2. Sluggish by humpTdance · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It may be required by suppliers in 2005, but that doesn't necessarily mean the military will successfully implement the technology by then. From my personal experience, IT tends to move incredibly slowly. It has taken more than 6 years and counting to implement Public Key Infrastructure; it has taken more than 10 years and counting for the Defense Message System. I won't be holding my breath on RFID.

  3. And DoS attacks too by Morgaine · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The potential dangers go further than merely allowing "the enemy" (LOL) to check your inventory. It's pretty easy to forecast that denial of service attacks will be used against this system as well as mere snooping, and there's no way that it'll be hardened against them because RFID is marketed as a cheap and simple way of reducing your costs, which eliminates hardening entirely.

    By the way, there's no need for the sledgehammer aircraft-based transmitter approach. I would expect inventory snooping to be done by dropping small scanners into delivery trucks or air vents, or getting them positioned properly by the most powerful weapon, namely insider help, either voluntary or under duress.

    Even worse, this is not just an inventory issue. Once RFID tags are accepted, live hardware will employ them, and the potential problems then hit another dimension altogether.

    --
    "The question of whether machines can think is no more interesting than [] whether submarines can swim" - Dijkstra
  4. Smart Anti-personnel Mines by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
    Well, you could have smart mines that only explode when combatants of the appropiate side were in proximity. No collateral damage (milspeak for no innocent civilian casulties). We wish.


    Of course when the military brass catches on that these could be programmed to trigger off of the rfids on commissioned officers insignia bought at the PX (smart fragging) this whole rfid idea will be history.

  5. Re:But to see RFID, the mine must emit a signal... by pvt_medic · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You could have the RF activate once the mine is activated, and use that as a Friendly Fire protection device.

    Mine is activated

    Radar activated

    Detects presence of authorized RFID

    Mine Disarms

    --
    30% Troll, 50% Underrated, 10% Interesting
    Score:5, Troll